Companies · Puzzle #24 · Friday, October 23
Companies: the board
Eight items, eight categories, one place each. Here is the board with every figure and where it comes from, and the best way to place them. Play today's Companies.
The categories
- Cash on hand: 1.5 pts per doubling over $200M, at year end
- Heritage: 1 pt per 15 years old
- Buybacks: 1 pt per doubling over $10M, last year
- Profit margin: 1 pt per 3% margin, last year
- Sales: 1.5 pts per doubling over $1.5B, last year
- California HQ: 10 pts if based in California
- Assets: 1.5 pts per doubling over $3B, at year end
- Sales per employee: 2 pts per doubling over $60K a head, last year
The best board
The best board is hidden while some of these items are still in play: they're on a board again within 14 days.
The lineup, figure by figure
ExxonMobil
Oil and gas, plus Exxon and Mobil stations
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Honeywell
Aircraft parts, building controls and automation
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Church & Dwight (Arm & Hammer)
Arm & Hammer baking soda and OxiClean
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Visa
Card payments network
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Walmart
Discount supercenters, plus Sam's Club
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
RTX (Raytheon)
Pratt & Whitney jet engines and Raytheon missiles
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Nvidia
Graphics chips that power gaming and AI
Its figures are hidden while it's still in play: it's on a board again within 14 days.
Jack in the Box
Burger and taco fast-food chain
Jack in the Box's best fit on this board was California HQ, worth 10.0: headquartered in San Diego, CA. Its weakest was Cash on hand, worth 0.0: $52M in cash at the end of September 2025.
- Cash on hand
- $52M in cash at the end of September 2025 (0.0) Source: JACK IN THE BOX INC 10-K, filed 2025-11-19
- Heritage
- founded in 1951, 75 years ago (5.0) Source: JACK IN THE BOX INC 10-K, filed 2025-11-19
- Buybacks
- $5M of its own stock bought back in the year to September 2025 (0.0) Source: JACK IN THE BOX INC 10-K, filed 2025-11-19
- Profit margin
- a loss of 5.5% of sales in the year to September 2025 (0.0) Source: JACK IN THE BOX INC 10-K, filed 2025-11-19
- Sales
- $1.5B in sales in the year to September 2025 (0.0) Source: JACK IN THE BOX INC 10-K, filed 2025-11-19
- California HQ
- headquartered in San Diego, CA (10.0) Source: JACK IN THE BOX INC 10-K, filed 2025-11-19
- Assets
- $2.6B in assets at the end of September 2025 (0.0) Source: JACK IN THE BOX INC 10-K, filed 2025-11-19
- Sales per employee
- $290K in sales per employee in the year to September 2025 (4.5) Source: JACK IN THE BOX INC 10-K, filed 2025-11-19